by Andreas Hager
Photo Credit: Nan Melville
Attending a co-production of Juilliard and the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Program can feel similar to a high-school match at the
steroidy heights of recruiting season. Last weekend at their production of
Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti, beaming parents
flocked into Juilliard’s Peter Jay Sharp Theater alongside the stars, agents,
and cronies of the opera world.
The young artists in the Lindeman Program may already be singing small
roles at the Metropolitan Opera, but this was a chance to show how they fared
in a leading role. They did not
disappoint, bringing freshness and vigor to Mozart’s exploration of love and
the limits of fidelity.
As aggressively modern as a sitcom, the plot focuses around
two sisters, Fiordiligi (Emalie Savoy) and Dorabella (Wallis Giunta), who are
happily in love with Ferrando (Alexander Lewis) and Guglielmo (Luthando Qave). The men are goaded into a
bet with Don Alfonso (Evan Hughes) to test their lovers’ fidelity. Add in the scheming maid Despina (Naomi O'Connell), and you get an evening of mistaken identities, changing affections,
and plenty of groping.
Alan Gilbert led the Juilliard Orchestra in a brisk and
youthful reading of the score. Onstage, Savoy displayed an inhuman ability to navigate the treacherous
shifts in vocal register, moving from a rich chest voice to creamy high
notes. As her sister, Giunta
displayed a clear soprano and a feisty stage presence. O’Connell brought a focused mezzo to
the comic part of Despina, managing to negotiate the comedy without resorting
to excessive mugging.
The men were equally impressive. With a comic stage presence that never compromised his
singing, Hughes gave an unusually sympathetic portrayal of the crafty Don Alfonso. Of the young lovers, Qave had a full
and flexible baritone. Lewis
displayed an attractive an tenor, but unfortunately did not hold out for the
evening, ultimately replaced in the
second act by Andrew Stenson who sang with a rich Italianate from the orchestra
pit.
The only disappointment was Stephen Wadsworth’s beautiful (if
generic) production that focused more on fussy stage business than creating
fully realized characters. Critics
have long decried both the improbability and indecorum of the swiftly changing
affections between the couples. Wadsworth did little to explain their motivations, and the only couple
that seemed to fall in love in this production was Despina and Don Alfonso.
But with musicianship of this caliber and the enthusiasm of
the performers, this was an evening to enjoy, with the hint of many fantastic
performances to come.